Wargaming: Games industry should aim for $200bn annual revenue by 2016

Victor Kislyi of strategy developer Wargaming.net has spoken out on the game industry’s need for expansion, stating that the $75bn brought in annually isn’t nearly where it could be.

VG247 reports on Kislyi’s talk at DICE Europe this week, where the CEO discussed the goal of $200bn in annual revenue for the industry by 2016.

Kislyi argued that popular mobile titles earn enough revenue each day to introduce new investors to the business of games, while digital media makes it easier for smaller western companies to explore markets outside of US, Canada and Europe.

“We are going to use these things smartly to change people’s view and perspective on games,” Kislyi said.

“We have to change the perception of games in pretty much the whole population. We have to bring games inside people’s lives.”

Kislyi also urged studios with games boasting massive player communities, like Riot Games’ League of Legends and Wargaming’s own World of Tanks, to share data and insights through Facebook and other social networks – something that would reinforce each other’s individual success, as well as overall industry growth.

“Ask yourself a question. In the last seven days, how much time did you spend making the industry – not just your games – look better?”

“We need to go out. We need to push it. We need to take this information to the [outside] world. We need to become missionaries. If you do this, I think that $200 billion revenues will be very small compared to what we have in a few years time.”

MCV is the leading trade news and community site for all professionals working within the UK and international video games market. It reaches everyone from store manager to CEO, covering the entire industry. MCV is published by NewBay Media, which specialises in entertainment, leisure and technology markets.